The Recruit - CHERUB

Chapter 4 - CHERUB

Jessica lazily woke up, rubbing her eyes as she tried adjusting to the bright lights inside a strange room. Jessica had awoken inside a room that was much flasher than any other children home's she's seen.

Jessica didn't have a clue where she was or how she had got there. The last thing she remembered was her and Lucas sitting down in the office of their social worker whom Jessica couldn't remember the name of.

The room was a single that contained a TV, mini fridge, telephone and a wide window next to the bed. When Jessica sat up to glance out of the window, she noticed that she was naked. Creepy.

The window overlooked a long, circular athletics track that had kids in different colour t-shirts running. The view overlooked various different sport areas: cricket fields, netball courts, tennis courts, hockey pitches, and a huge indoor gymnasium. There was also a forest that stretched out to the horizon. Jessica was quite high up - maybe three or more floors?

On the floor beside Jessica's bed, there was a set of clean clothes: white socks, underwear, pressed orange shirt, green military trousers with zipped pockets and a pair of brown military boots. Jessica grabbed the boots and studied them. The boots had a fresh, rubbery smell and polished black soles. It was obvious that they were new.

The military-style kit made Jessica wonder if this was actually a kids' military camp instead of a children's home. Jessica slipped on her clothes before glancing down at the logo imprinted on her shirt. It was a winged baby sitting on the world globe, with the outlines of Europe and the Americas. Cutting about halfway through the globe was a set of initials: CHERUB. Jessica stared at the initials for awhile, trying to figure out what it meant or what it was short for, but all she achieved was a dead end.

Jessica exited her room and stepped into a long corridor. She saw kids that were a similar age, and they were all wearing the same boots and trousers - except their shirts were either black or grey. The shirts had the same CHERUB logo imprinted.

Jessica decided to try and find out what's going on.

"Hey, do you know what's happening 'round here?" Jessica attempted to ask a boy that was walking towards her.

"Can't talk to orange," the boy said, without stopping or making any eye contact.

Jessica huffed. She looked both ways down the corridor. There were a row of doors down either direction. Two teenage girls were coming from the right of Jessica.

"Where do I go?" Jessica asked.

"Can't talk to orange," one girl replied.

The other one smiled sympathetically. "Can't talk," but she used her thumb to point back at a lift that was behind her, then made a downward motion.

"Thanks," Jessica smiled back.

As Jessica was walking towards the lift, a door swung out suddenly from her right.

"HOLY JESUS MACARONI AND CHEESE!" Jessica yelled.

A short nine-year-old boy walked out of a room that looked similar to Jessica's. The two children looked at each other before realizing who each of them were.

"Lucas?"

"Jess?"

Lucas went on his tippy-toes and hugged his sister. They hadn't done this since they were little kids, (excluding the day their mum died), and it felt good to embrace in a bear hug after so long.

"It's good to see you, Jess," Lucas smiled.

"Yeah, yeah," Jessica rolled her eyes with contempt. "Alright, let go of me, rat." Although Jessica couldn't help but grin.